Mabinogi

[Alice]

Yeah, I would agree with that, although a lot of the life skills stuff does seem to be there to encourage you to spend money to avoid grinding rather than to actually make the game more enjoyable. I mean, standing around stroking a hen for 10 minutes to get eggs is not particularly fun. Similarly, some of the exploration missions are pretty tedious, although other apsects of that (like the hot-air ballooning we did last night) was enjoyable.

It depends really. That describes Harvest Moon in a sense as well- it's the other stuff you do that makes it enjoyable. Working towards a goal, if you will. So you gather said eggs so you can try to make a luxurious omelet, among other things. Really, the game's meant to cater to multiple interests while tying stuff together. If you don't care for combat so much, you can try focusing on the life skills or exploring, maybe even the merchant stuff. If you find the life stuff boring, there's all the normal combat stuff. And if you like a combination of them all (like I generally do), then there's a bit of everything for that type of person to enjoy. It's something I like about this game that I wish that more modern mmos would try to do again, instead of continuing to copy World of Warcraft over and over again.

[Cherry Lover]

It depends really. That describes Harvest Moon in a sense as well- it's the other stuff you do that makes it enjoyable. Working towards a goal, if you will.

Well, yes, that's definitely true. I do think it would be nice if the life skills stuff wasn't quite so time-consuming and generally monotonous, though.

So you gather said eggs so you can try to make a luxurious omelet, among other things. Really, the game's meant to cater to multiple interests while tying stuff together. If you don't care for combat so much, you can try focusing on the life skills or exploring, maybe even the merchant stuff. If you find the life stuff boring, there's all the normal combat stuff. And if you like a combination of them all (like I generally do), then there's a bit of everything for that type of person to enjoy.

The thing is, though, it is very difficult to avoid the life skills unless you're willing to spend real money to do so. You simply need the stuff that comes from it.

It's something I like about this game that I wish that more modern mmos would try to do again, instead of continuing to copy World of Warcraft over and over again.

Well, yeah, doing more "life simulation" isn't a bad thing, as such, but I do think that Mabi is intentionally set up such that there is a lot of boring stuff solely so people will pay to get around it.

[Alice]

You can't get around the life skills with IRL money though- really, the closest you get to that is with certain pets, and even then, you still have to harvest things from them. ...Unless you're talking about the Homestead stuff where you have to have really high ranks in certain skills to get all the items you need, or a friend who has those ranks. In which case, yeah, that's a pain that makes it tempting to spend real life money on Pon to get around that, which is kinda annoying. ^_^"

[Cherry Lover]

You can't get around the life skills with IRL money though- really, the closest you get to that is with certain pets, and even then, you still have to harvest things from them. ...Unless you're talking about the Homestead stuff where you have to have really high ranks in certain skills to get all the items you need, or a friend who has those ranks. In which case, yeah, that's a pain that makes it tempting to spend real life money on Pon to get around that, which is kinda annoying. ^_^"

Well, you can't get around them directly, but you can get around needing them. For example, you can either spend ages working to get hold of Holy Water, or you can buy it (or something very similar) from the shop. Similarly, you can grind to make potions (which involves getting herbs and also potion-making skills) or you can just buy a pet or some potions from the shop. And, with blacksmithing, you can either buy (expensive) armour from the shop, make it with high-ranked blacksmithing (which needs other skills to be viable) or get it from a Gapachon which you buy with real money.

Plus, a lack of inventory space makes it harder to store things, which means that you need the life skills more urgently, rather than just storing things in the bank or inventory and using them later.

[Cherry Lover]

Honestly, I'm starting to get rather bored of Mabi. I never seem to have anything to actually do, aside from fishing or picking herbs, neither of which are exactly fun. I can't do any of the missions solo (the ones I'm meant to be doing solo are too difficult) and there never seems to be anyone around to do them with, except really late at night when I should be going to bed. I just seem to be completely stuck without any way to progress or do anything aside from the life skills, and it's starting to get dull.

The game does seem designed to force you to work in a party to do most things, and also to make it not much fun to play long-term if you don't spend money. I understand that it is an MMO, so having parties is a good idea, but it would be nice if there was either a) something for me to do on my own or b) people actually online when I am....

[Alice]

It's because the thing that'd give you something to do is being blocked by not having finished Generation 1 yet, which requires help if we're going to get through it. Plus there's probably a few things I haven't shown you that you have potential to do yet, such as starting to work on you transformation journal or starting to make weapons or other items. There's also the guild castle which has a dungeon that is potentially worth exploring. It's probably a bit on the tougher side, but it's potentially worth exploring as well. The main thing is that the stuff you'd be doing on your own right now is being blocked by the Gen 1 finale not being done yet- once that's finished, the game will start being more fun again.

[Cherry Lover]

It's because the thing that'd give you something to do is being blocked by not having finished Generation 1 yet, which requires help if we're going to get through it.

Well, yeah, but we're stuck on that for some time to come, probably, especially if we can't find time this week.

Plus there's probably a few things I haven't shown you that you have potential to do yet, such as starting to work on you transformation journal or starting to make weapons or other items.

Well, the transformation journal is possible, I guess. Making weapons and stuff isn't, really, because that means ranking up skills and I don't have the AP for that. Plus, it's not really fun to just spend all day collecting materials....

[quore]There's also the guild castle which has a dungeon that is potentially worth exploring. It's probably a bit on the tougher side, but it's potentially worth exploring as well. [/quote]

Well, I can't find a "guild castle" at the moment. Clicking on the stone gives me nothing....

The main thing is that the stuff you'd be doing on your own right now is being blocked by the Gen 1 finale not being done yet- once that's finished, the game will start being more fun again.

Yeah, but we never seem to get the chance to do that....

[Alice]

Since you're done with G1 now, you should be having more fun with the game now- especially since it looks like you can do most of the quests and stuff fine with minimal help until the boss fight for G3, which is probably a bit of a ways off for you.

And I was wrong about the guild castle- you can potentially get into one, depending on what the guild in control of the castle's rules are, but there are only a few castles to go around apparently. Guilds rent castles in the residential district. The way to check out the guild dungeon then is to go into a guild castle that allows open access to the dungeon by the public. The only ones that can use the stone to get there I think is a guild that has a castle already. ^_^"

Plus the new event stuff is a bit more active than the last ones were, so that should help too.  

[Cherry Lover]

Since you're done with G1 now, you should be having more fun with the game now- especially since it looks like you can do most of the quests and stuff fine with minimal help until the boss fight for G3, which is probably a bit of a ways off for you.

Yeah, definitely. Once I get back home and to a computer and net connection that can handle doing anything significant on Mabi, anyway....

And I was wrong about the guild castle- you can potentially get into one, depending on what the guild in control of the castle's rules are, but there are only a few castles to go around apparently. Guilds rent castles in the residential district. The way to check out the guild dungeon then is to go into a guild castle that allows open access to the dungeon by the public. The only ones that can use the stone to get there I think is a guild that has a castle already. ^_^"

Yeah, that's what I thought....

Plus the new event stuff is a bit more active than the last ones were, so that should help too.

Yeah, a lot less AFK fishing.

I am definitely liking the new updates, but it would be nice if they hadn't massively destabilised the game in the process....

[rude_tri-deity]

=_=

That's it. We need some sort of team building exercise like what keyoh had Alice and I do. Then perhaps just finish a whole bunch of Gens together.
Note: G3 is a pain. :l

[Cherry Lover]

=_=

That's it. We need some sort of team building exercise like what keyoh had Alice and I do.

Eh, what do you mean?

Then perhaps just finish a whole bunch of Gens together.

Yeah, possibly. I need to get through generation 9, 10 and 11 ASAP, really, since they have quite a few Alchemy skills. I also would like to get to be a Royal Alchemist if possible, although I dunno how hard that is to do....

Note: G3 is a pain. :l

Ah, OK.

[rude_tri-deity]

Yeah, possibly. I need to get through generation 9, 10 and 11 ASAP, really, since they have quite a few Alchemy skills. I also would like to get to be a Royal Alchemist if possible, although I dunno how hard that is to do....

http://wiki.mabinogiworld.com/view/RA
(^_^)b

You really just need Rank B Alchemy Mastery...and a whole lot of play time and Shadow Mission activity.

[Cherry Lover]

Yeah, possibly. I need to get through generation 9, 10 and 11 ASAP, really, since they have quite a few Alchemy skills. I also would like to get to be a Royal Alchemist if possible, although I dunno how hard that is to do....

http://wiki.mabinogiworld.com/view/RA
(^_^)b

You really just need Rank B Alchemy Mastery...and a whole lot of play time and Shadow Mission activity.

Well, no, Rank B Alchemy Mastery is the minimum (and I now do have that), but you also have to be in the top 100 applicants, and I suspect that is rather more difficult....

Also, the play time thing applies to existing RAs, not to new applicants. They're judged on some secret criteria that is a function of their alchemy skills.